-STACK 

ANNEX 


5 

071 

003 


CONGREGATIONAL  SINGING 


Sermon  preached  in  the  Spanish  and  Portu- 
guese Synagogue  Shearith  Israel,  Central 
Park  West  and  Seventieth  Street,  New 
York  City,  on  the  Eighth  day  of  Solemn 
Assembly  (Shemini  Hag  'Azereth,)  5671-1910 


BY 


The  REV.  DR.  D.  DE  SOLA  POOL 

Assistant  Minister  of  the 
Congregation 


2096428 


-top  rvrp'rr^  najpjj 


To  the  chief  musician,  'al  ha-sheminith,  a  Psalm  of  David. 
So  reads  the  introductory  line  of  the  twelfth  psalm,  the  psalm 
chosen  for  this  day  of  solemn  assembly,  because  the  word  sheminith, 
meaning  'eighth,'  has  been  taken  as  referring  to  this  eighth  day  of 
solemn  assembly.  But  the  problem  of  translating  the  word 
sheminith  with  certainty  and  precision  is  one  that  still  baffles 
scholars,  notwithstanding  the  learning  and  ingenuity  of  the  theories 
advanced  for  its  solution. 

The  oldest  version  of  the  psalms,  the  Greek  translation  called 
the  Septuagint,  translates  literally  'upon  the  eighth',  leaving  the 
difficulty  unexplained.  Ibn  Ezra  suggests  that  the  word  would 
tell  us  that  the  psalm  is  to  be  sung  to  the  eighth  of  a  series  of  melodies 
or  keys.  The  old  Jewish  version,  the  Targum,  commentators  such 
as  Rashi  and  David  Kimchi,  and  following  them  the  English  version 
agree  in  understanding  the  word  sheminith  as  the  name  of  an  instru- 
ment with  eight  strings.  But  in  the  book  of  Chronicles  (xv,  21),  we 
are  told  how  for  the  Temple  David  appointed  Heman,  Asaph  and 
Ethan,  the  chief  Temple  musicians,  with  cymbals  of  brass  to  mark 
the  time,  eight  Levites  with  harps  'al  'alamoth  and  six  Levites  with 
lyres  'al  ha-sheminith  to  guide  the  melody;  and  were  the  sheminith 
an  instrument,  we  would  be  at  a  loss  to  explain  what  is  meant  by 
'lyres  upon  the  sheminith.'  For  this  reason  and  for  other  reasons 
also,  most  scholars  interpret  the  word  sheminith  in  another  sense. 
Eight  Levites  were  appointed  with  harps  'al  'alamoth  and  six  with 
lyres  'al  ha-sheminith;  the  word  'alamoth  means  maidens,  and  the 
word  sheminith  means  eighth,  and  therefore  these  terms  are  usually 
translated  'harps  set  to  maiden's  voices',  that  is  of  high  pitch,  and 
'lyres  set  to  the  eighth,'  that  is  an  octave,  eight  notes  lower  than 
the  ordinary  range.  The  harp  'al  'alamoth  would  be  the  harp  set 
for  the  high  voices  of  maidens,  the  lyre  'al  ha-sheminith  the  lyre 
pitched  to  the  low  voices  of  men. 


Behind  these  two  terms,  we  catch  a  glimpse  of  men  and  women 
worshipping  the  Lord  with  song.  In  Solomon's  temple,  the  service 
was  one  of  song,  the  book  of  Chronicles  describing  in  detail  the 
arrangements  made  for  the  musical  rendition  of  the  service.  We 
are  told  that  in  the  second  temple,  also,  human  voices  were  raised 
in  hymns  in  praise  of  God.  The  books  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah 
(Ezra  ii,  6;  Neh.  vii,  67  and  elsewhere)  speak  of  the  singing  men  and 
singing  women  of  the  temple,  and  the  Talmud  tells  us  much  about 
the  music  and  choirs  of  the  temple.  Indeed,  the  book  of  Psalms 
as  we  possess  it  with  the  musical  headings  to  the  different  psalms 
is  arranged  as  the  hymn  book  used  in  the  second  temple. 

To  day  the  synagogue  takes  the  place  of  the  temple,  the 
synagogue  in  which,  in  the  words  of  that  spoiled  child  of  Judaism, 
Heinrich  Heine,  the  praise  of  God  rises  more  inspiringly  from  the 
warm  human  breast  than  from  cold  organ  pipes,  (Der  Rabbi  von 
Bacharach,  Chap.  II),  the  synagogue  in  which  the  service  has  ever 
been  a  service  of  song.  It  is  of  this  congregational  singing  that 
I  would  speak  to  day,  a  subject  of  no  minor  importance.  For  it 
is  clear  to  the  most  casual  observer  that  religious  influences  and  the 
practise  of  religious  worship  are  becoming  rarer  and  rarer  in  the  home, 
and  therefore  the  strengthening  of  religious  influences  and  of  the 
practise  of  religious  worship  among  the  young  must  be  undertaken 
more  and  more  by  the  synagogue  as  the  home  becomes  less  and  less 
spiritual.  Never  before  has  the  synagogue  service  been  so  essential 
for  the  welfare  of  the  religion  as  now,  when  it  has  alas!  so  often 
to  take  the  place  of  family  worship  and  private  devotion,  besides 
fulfilling  its  own  function;  and  any  element  of  synagogue  worship 
that  can  be  developed  to  make  the  synagogue  and  its  services 
more  attractive  and  intelligible  to  the  rising  generation  should 
command  our  most  earnest  attention. 

If  those  whom  we  would  wish  to  see  in  synagogue,  and  who 
could  attend  if  they  would,  still  do  not  come,  we  must  boldly  confess 
that  the  service  makes  no  appeal  to  them — that  it  does  not  interest 
and  attract  them.  On  the  great  days  of  Rosh  ha-Shana  and  Kippur 
when  the  synagogue  is  thronged  to  overflowing,  it  is  clear  to  all 
who  will  see  that  many  sit  listless  and  mute  in  their  places  neither 
following  nor  taking  part  in  the  service. 

The  remedy  for  this  apathy  lies  close  at  hand.  It  does  not 
consist  in  changing  the  service;  for  this  suicidal  course  has  been 
followed  too  often  around  us,  only  to  find  the  benches  emptier  than 
ever  when  the  novelty  of  the  experiment  has  worn  off.  But  it  does 
consist  in  teaching  the  congregation  to  join  in,  nay,  even  to  maintain 


the  service.  This  is  not  alone  possible  to  be  done,  it  must  be  done. 
For  our  liturgy  has  not  been  coldly  composed  to  be  droned  in  a  dull 
and  colorless  recitation.  It  bears  in  every  line  the  impress  of  the 
warmth  and  color  of  a  musical  chanting,  and  we  Sephardic  Jews 
have  always  chanted  the  service  from  end  to  end.  The  traditional 
melodies  are  all  simple  and  of  small  range  so  that  the  least  musical 
congregant  may  sing  them.  We  do  not  use  in  any  one  service  a 
large  number  of  melodies,  for  the  wisdom  of  past  generations  has 
seen  that  if  the  whole  congregation  is  to  praise  God  and  not  sit 
inattentive  and  weary  while  their  precentor  prays  for  them,  the 
melodies  must  be  few,  familiar  and  beloved.  The  chazan  among 
us  is  the  praying  leader  of  the  praying  congregation,  not  one  who 
sings  elaborate  music  beyond  the  compass  of  the  congregation, 
nor  one  who  prays  for  his  congregation,  for  no  one  may  engage 
in  that  spiritual  exercise  we  call  prayer  in  the  stead  of  another. 

When,  at  intervals  in  the  service,  occasion  demands  that  "the 
beauty  of  holiness"  should  be  shown  by  a  burst  of  psalmody;  when, 
as  at  the  taking  out  and  returning  the  scroll  of  the  law,  the  solemnity 
of  the  ceremonial  calls  for  a  choral  outburst,  then  "the  pealing 
anthem  swells  the  note  of  praise,"  and  the  choir  alone  heightens 
the  spiritual  emotion  by  a  concord  of  sweet  sounds.  But  at  other 
times  the  singing  of  the  choir  should  not  mean  the  stilling  of  the 
congregation.  It  is  the  function  of  the  choir  to  lead  not  to  supersede 
the  congregation,  to  guide  it  by  the  choice  of  melody,  key  and  rhythm. 
For  the  congregation  itself  conducts,  and  must  conduct  the  service, 
the  interest  being  maintained  by  the  frequent  chanting  of  responses, 
by  taking  up  the  ends  of  verses  and  by  the  breaking  forth  into 
snatches  of  sacred  song,  thereby  giving  an  unending  variety  to 
the  recitation  of  our  liturgy. 

Your  ministers  therefore  plan  to  conduct  during  the  winter 
a  synagogue  choral  circle,  for  men,  for  women  and  for  the  young 
members  of  the  congregation.  For  men,  so  that  their  singing  may 
be  more  harmonious  and  reverential,  more  befitting  the  language 
of  praise.  For  women,  because  their  sweet  voices  must  also  be  heard 
in  worship.  Was  it  not  Miriam  and  the  maidens  who  sang  with 
Moses  the  song  of  redemption  at  the  Red  Sea?  Did  not  Deborah 
sing  with  Barak  a  pealing  song  of  triumph  and  thanksgiving?  Was 
it  not  the  women  who  came  forth  with  song  to  welcome  the  victorious 
Saul  and  David?  And  shall  we  not  remember  Urania  of  the  syna- 
gogue at  Worms  who  centuries  back  sang  with  sweet  tunefulness 
to  the  women  worshippers  ?  We  ask  the  support  of  the  women 
in  the  choral  circles  so  that  they  also  may  swell  the  melodious  cadence 


of  prayer  in  the  synagogue,  and  so  that  they  may  teach  their  children 
to  sing  God's  praise  in  the  home.  And  above  all  we  ask  that  the 
children  join  their  choral  circle  so  that  they  may  learn  to  know 
and  love  the  service,  so  that  the  psalms  and  hymns  may  become 
familiar  and  beloved  in  their  mouth,  so  that  they  may  learn  the 
sublime  Hebrew  words  and  the  glorious  melodies  of  the  hymnal 
portions  of  our  service. 

Preeminently  this  congregation  dare  not  shirk  this  duty  of 
stimulating  its  congregational  singing.  For  we  have  been,  since 
the  first  Jewish  settlement  in  this  country,  and  are  still  the  banner 
bearing  congregation  of  the  continent.  The  Jews  of  America  look 
to  us  to  learn  how  orthodox  Judaism,  traditional  Judaism  can  and 
should  be  beautiful  and  attractive.  The  beauty  of  our  synagogue 
building  is  inspirational.  The  spiritual  beauty  of  our  liturgy  is 
of  the  loftiest.  The  devotional  beauty  of  our  music  is  soul  stirring, 
and  we  must  show  the  example  to  those  around  us  of  the  religious 
beauty  of  congregational  worship.  We  owe  it  to  the  responsibility 
of  our  position  as  the  foremost  congregation  on  the  continent,  and 
we  owe  it  to  our  future  as  a  congregation  to  stand  forth  as  the  model 
of  a  worshipping  congregation,  neither  allowing  the  service  to  de- 
generate into  a  dull  and  unappealing  recitation  robbed  of  the  worship 
of  song,  nor  seduced  by  the  cold  beauty  of  a  concert-like  service 
of  exquisite  music,  sung  not  so  much  for  the  glory  of  God,  as  to  excite 
the  sensual  enjoyment  of  a  mute  audience,  nor  yet  allowing  true 
congregational  worship  to  become  indecorous  or  disturbing.  The 
service  of  prayer  must  rise  heavenwards  from  the  warm  and  glowing 
lips  of  a  worshipping  congregation. 

May  God  be  with  us  in  this  and  in  all  our  activity,  strengthening 
us  to  attract  the  growing  congregation  to  these  services  where  each 
may  offer  his  incense  of  sweet  song  to  the  Lord,  where  the  soul  of 
each  worshipper  may  rise  to  God,  borne  on  the  wings  of  song, 
so  that  each  may  say  with  the  Psalmist  "I  will  sing  unto  the  Lord 
while  I  live,  I  will  chant  praises  unto  my  God  while  I  have  being." 
Then  will  this  synagogue  become  even  more  a  centre  of  blessing, 
giving  spiritual  peace  to  those  who  worship  within  its  walls,  and 
sending  forth  its  streams  of  religious  example  and  beneficence  to 
enrich  the  community  without — streams  rising  from  the  reverential 
worship  of  God,  the  Fountain  of  living  waters. 


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